Kraken vs MEXC: Como estas exchanges de cripto se comparam

Crypto platforms differ across regulation, product breadth (spot, margin, futures, staking, tokenized assets), fee design, asset coverage, security practices (cold storage, audits, certifications), and customer support.

Different traders have different priorities, so it’s important to take all these variables into consideration before deciding where to trade.

Kraken has made a name for itself regarding high level security and its commitment to trust and transparency. MEXC is well-known for its asset variety and quick listing process. However its regulatory history and customer support track record is not as clean in comparison to Kraken.

This Kraken vs MEXC article explores both exchanges in depth to help you decide which venue is most suitable for you.

Fundada em 2011 nos Estados Unidos, a Kraken está entre os nomes mais antigos e estabelecidos na indústria de criptomoedas. Lançada menos de dois anos após a estreia do Bitcoin, a exchange ganhou reconhecimento global pelo seu forte foco em segurança, transparência operacional e uma experiência de utilizador de alta qualidade.

Hoje, a Kraken serve mais de 15 milhões de clientes em mais de 190 países. As suas ofertas variam desde a plataforma principal Kraken para investidores individuais, até plataformas de negociação completas e poderosas para traders avançados e institucionais através da plataforma Kraken Pro e da aplicação Kraken Desktop.

A suite institucional da Kraken abrange mercados à vista (spot), de margem, de futuros, staking e negociação OTC para clientes qualificados. A Kraken também investe fortemente em educação através do Kraken Learn, apoiando traders novos e experientes.

Com sede em Wyoming, a Kraken destaca o seu compromisso com a responsabilidade através de Provas de Reservas regulares, uma prática que introduziu na indústria em 2014. Foi também a primeira crypto exchange a ser listada no Bloomberg Terminal, ajudando a preencher a lacuna entre as finanças tradicionais e os ativos digitais.

Com licenças regulatórias em mercados-chave, incluindo os EUA, Canadá, Reino Unido, UE e um histórico de assistência em casos como os pedidos de credores da Mt. Gox, a Kraken construiu uma reputação de operações estáveis e conformes, o que a torna um destino de confiança para quem procura uma crypto exchange segura e duradoura.

Launched in 2018, MEXC is a global cryptocurrency exchange headquartered in Seychelles. Recent market cycles have seen it grow due to a wide asset selection and high-leverage functionality.

MEXC delivers spot, margin and derivatives trading across its listed tokens and cryptocurrencies. It additionally provides copy trading, automated trading bots, staking products that reward users with airdrops, and a “Launchpad” that allows them to participate in token launches and discounted token sales.

The exchange differentiates itself on the sheer size of its listed assets, with the exchange often making small-caps available much faster than competitors that are more focused on curation. Combined with its competitive fee schedule and various incentive schemes, it appeals to traders seeking new high-risk, high-reward opportunities.

MEXC access is restricted in several major markets (including both the US and the UK), and does not operate with as much regulatory transparency as its US- or EU-based competitors. As a result, it may be better suited to seasoned traders who prioritize access to the newest tokens over regulatory protections or long-term certainty.

Kraken has been operating since 2011, making it one of the earliest global exchanges. Its long history across multiple market cycles reassures clients looking for a proven track record.

Kraken is consistently ranked among the most trusted exchanges by independent research firms and mainstream finance outlets. In contrast, MEXC is well known for breadth of assets but has a mixed reputation, with reports of frozen assets and account blocks by several users

Kraken has never reported a breach of client funds in over a decade of operations

Kraken holds regulatory licenses across the U.S., UK, EU, and other key markets. MEXC, by contrast, has been placed on the UK FCA warning list for operating without authorization.

Kraken’s certifications (ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II) and recurring third-party Proof-of-Reserves audits offer peace of mind

O ecossistema de produtos da Kraken foi concebido para suportar uma vasta gama de estilos de negociação e níveis de experiência. Os utilizadores podem negociar em movimento com a sua aplicação móvel otimizada ou aceder a ferramentas mais avançadas através do Kraken Pro, que oferece gráficos detalhados, tipos de ordem personalizados e dados de mercado em tempo real.

A plataforma suporta a negociação spot para todos os utilizadores, com negociação de margem (até 5x de alavancagem) e contratos de futuros (até 50x de alavancagem) disponíveis em regiões elegíveis. Clientes institucionais e de elevado património líquido podem aceder a serviços adicionais através da mesa OTC da Kraken e da oferta Kraken Prime.

Além da negociação, a Kraken oferece staking de cripto em mais de 21 ativos, com recompensas até 17% APY dependendo da moeda e das condições da rede. Os utilizadores podem ganhar passivamente ao fazer staking de ativos como Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL) e Cardano (ADA) diretamente através da plataforma.

A Kraken também suporta pagamentos digitais globais através do Krak, uma funcionalidade que permite aos utilizadores enviar cripto ou dinheiro sem taxas de transação.

Em 2024, a Kraken lançou a sua rede Ink Layer-2, construída na SuperChain da Optimism, proporcionando uma ponte contínua entre exchanges centralizadas e protocolos DeFi populares.

Para aqueles que procuram aprofundar os seus conhecimentos financeiros, o Kraken Learn oferece recursos educacionais que abrangem desde os princípios básicos da blockchain até estratégias de negociação avançadas.

Trading flexibility: Clients can trade on MEXC’s mobile apps (iOS/Android) and web platform, with advanced charting powered by TradingView, real-time alerts, and a unified margin system that shares balances across spot, margin, and futures accounts for greater capital efficiency.

Spot, margin, and futures: Spot markets cover thousands of pairs, while margin trading supports leverage up to 10x. Futures trading is a core strength, with hundreds of perpetual and delivery contracts offering leverage up to 500x on selected pairs.

Copy trading: MEXC offers one-click copy trading for both spot and futures, allowing users to follow and automatically mirror the strategies of top-performing traders, with performance rankings and risk metrics visible before subscribing.

Trading bots and automation: Built-in grid bots, DCA (dollar-cost averaging), futures grid, and martingale strategies are available, alongside AI-enhanced signal bots. These can be deployed directly from trading pages, giving users algorithmic trading access without coding.

Earn and savings: MEXC Earn offers flexible savings products with daily yield and instant redemption, staking on supported networks, Launchpad for token sales, and Launchpool for yield farming newly listed assets. Leveraged ETFs provide alternative ways to gain exposure without managing margin positions.

Fiat access and payments: MEXC provides SEPA bank transfers, credit/debit card purchases, and a peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace covering 140+ fiat currencies. This makes onboarding straightforward across many regions, though services may vary by jurisdiction.

Tokenized stocks: MEXC has expanded into tokenized U.S. equities and stock futures settled in USDT, allowing traders to access traditional market exposure without leaving the platform.

DeFi and Web3 integration: Through its “DEX+” and WalletConnect features, MEXC bridges centralized trading with on-chain opportunities, enabling swaps, DeFi interaction, and movement of assets across ecosystems.

Education: MEXC Academy provides tutorials, beginner-to-advanced guides, market explainers, and trading tips, supporting users who want to learn strategies or explore new products.

Protection fund: MEXC maintains a User Protection Fund and Proof-of-Reserves portal with Merkle-tree verification, designed to safeguard user funds and build transparency into the custody model.

Kraken continues to innovate and expand its offering, exceeding the requirements for the average crypto user. It is fast becoming a ‘one stop shop’ for a very wide breadth of investment and trading activities, executed to the highest standards. If Kraken is yet to integrate a feature or product, it’s likely that it’s in the pipeline, as evidenced by recent acquisitions and partnerships. Clients choose Kraken over MEXC because in most cases they have everything they need, with some features they can’t find elsewhere.

Os clientes podem aceder a mais de 600 criptomoedas na Kraken, incluindo as principais como Bitcoin (BTC) e XRP (XRP), bem como uma variedade de altcoins, desde memecoins até liquid staking tokens.

Existem também mais de 11.000 ETFs e ações sem comissão disponíveis para negociar diretamente na aplicação Kraken. E para clientes em locais elegíveis, podem investir em xStocks, que são versões tokenizadas destes ativos.
A Kraken suporta levantamentos e depósitos em dez principais moedas fiduciárias, tornando rápido e conveniente para os clientes globais financiarem as suas contas.

As moedas fiduciárias suportadas incluem:

• USD (Dólar dos EUA)

• CAD (Dólar Canadiano)

• GBP (Libra Esterlina)

• EUR (Euro)

• JPY (Iene Japonês)

• AUD (Dólar Australiano)

• CHF (Franco Suíço)

• ARS (Peso Argentino)

• MXN (Peso Mexicano)

• BRL (Real Brasileiro)

Existem também 15 stablecoins suportadas, incluindo Tether (USDT), USDC e USDG.

MEXC provides access to more than 2,700 cryptocurrencies across over 3,000 market pairs, making it one of the broadest listings among centralized exchanges. Spot markets cover both major tokens and emerging projects, while margin trading is available with leverage of up to 10x on selected pairs. Its derivatives platform supports hundreds of perpetual and quarterly futures contracts with leverage of up to 500x on leading assets, catering to high-frequency and professional traders.

Alongside crypto pairs, MEXC also supports fiat trading through a wide range of on- and off-ramps. Users can deposit and withdraw in EUR via SEPA bank transfers and buy or sell crypto directly with debit and credit cards.

In addition to crypto, MEXC has expanded into tokenized equities. Through its stock futures and tokenized stock offerings, users can trade synthetic versions of major U.S. companies, settled in USDT. Leveraged ETFs are also available, providing long and short exposure (typically 2x–3x) on dozens of digital assets without the risk of margin liquidation.

While Kraken lists significantly fewer assets, it ensures that those assets that are available to trade have been carefully vetted. This curation of assets focusses on quality over quantity, balancing client’s demand to trade a wide number of cryptocurrencies with the need for careful due diligence.

In addition, Kraken clients are afforded the same access to tokenized stocks as well as fully compliant U.S. perpetual futures and legacy market assets, such as stocks and ETFs. Kraken offers broader and more regulated fiat support (multiple direct fiat pairs, regulated banking rails, and strong liquidity in fiat-crypto markets). MEXC focuses on stablecoin pairs with fiat primarily handled via SEPA, card processors, or P2P.

O modelo de taxas da Kraken baseado no volume é escalonado e transparente para apoiar tanto traders profissionais quanto investidores ocasionais.

Com taxas de maker a começar em 0.25% e taxas de taker em 0.40%, existem também descontos disponíveis para indivíduos e instituições de alto volume. Com uma subscrição Kraken+, estas taxas podem ser totalmente eliminadas para clientes elegíveis até determinados volumes mensais.

A maioria dos depósitos de cripto e fiduciários são gratuitos, com algumas exceções dependendo do método de transação e do ativo específico. A Kraken também destaca a transparência ao exibir todas as taxas antes de uma transação ser confirmada, garantindo que os clientes estão cientes de todas as taxas antecipadamente e evitam surpresas dispendiosas.

MEXC’s fee schedule is designed to be simple and highly competitive. Spot trading typically features 0% maker fees and 0.05% taker fees, while futures contracts start at 0% maker and 0.02% taker. Additional discounts are available for traders who hold or pay fees with the exchange’s native MX token, and periodic promotions often reduce fees even further on selected markets. This combination makes MEXC one of the lowest-cost venues for both spot and derivatives trading.

MEXC has a significant draw with its 0% maker fees on spot and futures - something that will attract many traders. While it may cost more to trade at Kraken, those funds are reinvested into the aspects of Kraken that clients love; exceptional customer service, state of the art security, and round the clock transparency with regards to reserves. Many clients continue to trade at Kraken despite the higher fees because it offers peace of mind that few other venues can match, inspired by over a decade of experience with a nascent asset class, and a formidable track record. Doing business with a company that has a spotless reputation is something that clients are prepared to pay a premium for.

A Kraken é amplamente considerada uma das plataformas de cripto mais seguras do setor. Desde a sua criação, a Kraken nunca sofreu uma violação que resultasse na perda de fundos de clientes, uma afirmação que poucas outras exchanges podem fazer. Os clientes beneficiam de proteção de conta multicamadas, incluindo 2FA com chaves de acesso, encriptação de e-mail PGP, permissões de chave API granulares com limites de alcance, tempo limite de conta configurável, monitorização em tempo real para atividade suspeita, lista de permissões para levantamentos e definições de chave mestra.

A Kraken foi pioneira na Prova de Reservas em 2014 e continua a liderar o setor com auditorias regulares e independentemente verificáveis. Este procedimento criptográfico permite que os clientes revejam pessoalmente como os seus saldos de conta são apoiados por ativos reais, a qualquer momento. A Kraken também possui a certificação ISO/IEC 27001:2013, conformidade com a auditoria SOC 2 Type 2 e opera um robusto programa de recompensas por bugs público.

MEXC enhances safety through a combination of platform safeguards, a user protection fund, and publicly verifiable proof-of-reserves. While it does not hold the same range of external certifications as older institutions, it has avoided any major exchange-level breaches resulting in client fund losses.

Its Proof of Reserves system uses Merkle-tree verification, allowing clients to independently confirm that their balances are backed 1:1 by on-chain reserves. Alongside this, MEXC maintains a “User Protection Fund,” designed to cover extraordinary incidents and reassure users about the security of their holdings.

MEXC security features in a nutshell:

• Two-factor authentication (2FA) for logins and withdrawals
• Anti-phishing codes to prevent email spoofing
• Withdrawal address whitelisting
• Encrypted data transmission and SSL browsing protection
• Configurable fund password for added transaction security
• Login and device management records with alerts for suspicious activity
• Real-time monitoring systems to detect abnormal trades or withdrawals
• User Protection Fund to provide insurance-like coverage
• Regular Proof of Reserves updates with Merkle verification for transparency

NB: Some traders have reported withdrawal delays and account locks on MEXC, often triggered by the platform’s “risk control” system. In July 2025, one trader launched a campaign after his account and $3m in funds was allegedly frozen.

MEXC has stated these measures are part of its security and risk control protocols, designed to protect user assets, and notes that restrictions are usually lifted within a few business days once reviews or documentation are completed.

Kraken goes to extreme measures to offer its clients peace of mind, and its track record speaks for itself. While neither exchange has reported a breach resulting in a loss in clients funds, Kraken makes it easy to find evidence of their ISO and SOC certifications and provides clients with state of the art security measures to protect their funds.

Kraken is also compliant in many jurisdictions where MEXC does not operate. Further, MEXC has been flagged by regulators, including the UK’s FCA and Hong Kong’s SFC, for operating without proper licences.

Simply put, clients trust Kraken to be a responsible and transparent custodian while simultaneously investing a significant amount of resources to ensure that clients’ funds remain safe and secure.

A Kraken é conhecida pelo seu serviço de apoio ao cliente profissional e responsivo, oferecendo vários canais de apoio para satisfazer as diferentes necessidades dos utilizadores. Os clientes podem aceder ao chat ao vivo 24 horas por dia, 7 dias por semana, com agentes humanos reais, enviar pedidos por e-mail ou (em casos selecionados) falar diretamente com um especialista de apoio por telefone.

A equipa de apoio multilingue da Kraken pode ajudar os utilizadores em mais de uma dúzia de idiomas. Isto ajuda a empresa a servir a sua base de clientes global de forma mais eficaz.

A exchange também obteve altas classificações na satisfação do cliente e foi reconhecida como Vencedora do Melhor Uso de IA em CX (Europa) na Customer Centricity World Series. O seu foco na clareza, empatia e rapidez na resolução de problemas continua a distinguir a experiência do cliente da Kraken num espaço competitivo.

MEXC provides reliable customer support primarily through 24/7 live chat and email, ensuring traders can reach assistance at any time in several languages.

Clients can often find answers to various questions via theHelp Center with tutorials, FAQs, and step-by-step guidance. Users can submit support tickets with detailed information, and responses are handled by trained agents. Service is available in multiple languages to cater to its global client base, and operational updates are shared through public announcements through various channels.

Security and account-related issues follow strict verification procedures to safeguard users’ assets. While MEXC does not provide phone-based support, urgent inquiries such as withdrawal problems or account access issues are prioritized within the ticketing system.

While Kraken lists significantly fewer assets, it ensures that those assets that are available to trade have been carefully vetted. This curation of assets focusses on quality over quantity, balancing client’s demand to trade a wide number of cryptocurrencies with the need for careful due diligence.

In addition, Kraken clients are afforded the same access to tokenized stocks as well as fully compliant U.S. perpetual futures and legacy market assets, such as stocks and ETFs. Kraken offers broader and more regulated fiat support (multiple direct fiat pairs, regulated banking rails, and strong liquidity in fiat-crypto markets). MEXC focuses on stablecoin pairs with fiat primarily handled via SEPA, card processors, or P2P.

Both Kraken and MEXC are established global exchanges, but they appeal to slightly different types of traders. MEXC is known for its very broad asset coverage and highly competitive fees, giving users exposure to hundreds of tokens and leveraged products with deep liquidity, at a discount to many other venues.

Kraken, one of the longest-operating exchanges in the industry, excels with respect to regulatory compliance, security, and transparency, making it a trusted venue for long-term investors and institutions. Its asset listings are curated for quality, and it provides pro-grade tools, reliable fiat on/off ramps, and innovative access to crypto markets in a regulated environment.

If you value an unblemished reputation, regulatory standing, safety, and streamlined access to carefully vetted products (especially as a U.S. client) and features, Kraken may be the right venue for you.

If you want a wider range of tokens, high-leverage trading, lower maker fees and broader product availability in non-U.S. regions, MEXC may be the better choice.